Scythe by Neal Shusterman is a highly imaginative and intriguing science fiction novel which explores a future where death has been “conquered”, and humanity is forced to find new ways to regulate population growth, that is, “gleaning”. The fascinating and entertaining novel makes the reader glue their hands to the book and sit on the edge of the chair. 

In a world where death has been eliminated, and people are required to be gleaned by the scythes who control the overall population growth. Furthermore, the story starts with the following young scythes, Citra and Rowan, who are taken under the Goddard. Their first mission, where they had to choose between justice or mercy. The world-building in this book is phenomenal, as Shusterman blends technology, religion, and society into a believable and terrifying future. The scythes in the book  are considered to be the protectors of humanity, and they are given complete authority to choose who should live or die. The scythes are also given a handbook where they are not killers but gleaners who should follow several rules of gleaning. 

The way the author describes character traits helps to develop the character throughout the story. Citra, who is introduced as a protagonist in the book, questions her belief of herself and the society’s perspective of gleaning. Rowan, who finds himself in more trouble than her, is more aggressive and impetuous.

One interesting aspect of the novel is that it questions morality. In a world where death is no longer a natural occurrence, the scythes must decide who should live or die. The theme of the book can be defined as maturity of humanity. It focuses on what humanity does and adapts to a society that I cannot even imagine. The fact that the people accept the cruel killing is also the intriguing part of the book. The book questions the reader whether death should be terminated or death is needed for humanity. The writing pace of this book is also pleasing. The author has divided the chapters that keeps the readers from losing focus on the novel, coming up with stories every chapter. 

To sum up, Scythe is a science fiction novel depicting a world in which death has been conquered. The novel itself is gripping and thought-provoking causing the reader to raise questions regarding ethics such as whether death being erased from humanity is right. Another major aspect of the novel triggering the reader’s interest is the pacing of the story.